Catholic groups in Texas resist birth control mandate

University of St. Thomas president Robert Ivany opposes new requirements that Catholic universities cover birth control for employees. (Chronicle file)

Despite recent surveys showing more than half of American Catholics agree with a new requirement for religious employers to also provide no-cost birth control, Catholic clergy and organizations remain outspoken in opposition to the policy.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and head of pro-life activities for U.S. bishops described the mandate as a violation of First Amendment religious freedoms and an attempt to force employers to violate their convictions, and Texas bishops sent a letter to all of Texas’ congressional representatives on Wednesday, urging them to stop the requirement.

Catholic organizations in the area are siding with DiNardo and the bishops.

Robert Ivany, president of the University of St. Thomas in Houston issued the following statement:

University of St. Thomas opposes the Health and Human Services mandate that requires employee insurance plans to cover contraception and sterilization as an attack on our religious liberties.

We have joined with other Catholic universities that oppose the requirements of this mandate. This is a national issue, and we’ll be following the lead of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the USCCB write out, as they initiate steps on a national level.

The Texas Tribune pointed out that Austin’s Catholic hospital Seton Healthcare Family does not cover contraceptives for its employees and doesn’t plan to change its policy, which applies to church-affiliated groups but not churches themselves.

Over 160 bishops have brought up the issue of the birth control mandate in bulletins or during Mass, according to American Papist blogger Thomas Peters.

Faced with their opposition, the White House Tuesday tried to ease tension by acknowledging their concerns. Speaker of the House John Boehner, a Catholic, told Congress Wednesday the new requirement “”cannot stand and will not stand.”

Still, 58 percent of Catholics agree that employers should cover contraceptive costs, and 52 percent say that those requirements should extend to religiously affiliated colleges and hospitals, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.

42 Responses

The Catholic bishops, who are required to be cellibrate, are against birth control. However, a majority of practicing lay Catholics admit to using birth control, and a majority are in favor of health insurance provided by church sponsored schools and hospital covering birth control.

@Kristan: Why don’t Catholic hospitals refuse Medicaid, Medicare, and other public funds? Why don’t Catholic universities refuse federal financial aid for their (not entirely Catholic) student bodies? If these are *religious* missions, why do they hire non-Catholics and feed at the public trough?

This issue is NOT about churches themselves but non-church entities like universities and hospitals. These entities don’t operate as churches: they hire non-Christians and receive public funds. When you mix public funds and religion, religion should have to accept the state’s strings — not the state yielding to the demands of churches. Same as it is with faith-based initiatives funding (which should be de-funded for the same reasons of blurring lines between church and state functions). *Non*-church entities should have to provide the same levels and kinds of coverage as any other employer, especially if they accept any public funds to carry out their missions — whether you consider those missions religious or not (in fact, you have no grounds to use the resources of the state to push a religious mission in the first place).

A recent study suggests that roughly 90% of American Catholic women use some form of birth control at some point in their lives. What the Catholic Church wants is for the federal government to enforce a policy on its members that it is unable to enforce itself on 90% of them. They should try to win the hearts and minds of their own faithful (which they have clearly failed to do) before using the federal government to try to enforce their failed doctrine.

The Catholic Bishops and Cardinals have, by their extraordinarily poor handling of the Sexual Abuse Cases, broken faith with their Catholic parishioners and have lost all claim to any moral high ground. The Bishops think that they are still in the 1950’s when they could simply order their congregants to “Pay, Pray and Obey”. But those days are over for good. American Catholics will not allow themselves to be ordered around by corrupt bishops and cardinals.

Two new polls indicate that most Catholics and Americans in general support the idea of insurance policies that cover contraception for religious institutions. The first one, from the Public Religion Research Institute, asked if all employers should be required to offer healthcare plans that cover contraception:

But maybe respondents weren’t specifically primed to think that some employers are churches that have theological objections to birth control. So the second survey asked the general question first (getting similar results to the PRRI survey) and then asked specifically if Catholic hospitals and universities should be included:

In both cases, the numbers are much higher for Democrats and Independents. It’s really only Republicans who object much, which strongly suggests that most of the objection is rooted in ideology, not religious conscience.

Last month the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, Gabino Zavala, was forced to resign because he fathered two children out of wedlock with an unmarried woman. There’s a perfect example of a Catholic Church employee who could have used some contraceptives!

The Catholic hierarchy centered in the Vatican says one thing while a majority of American Catholic lay people approve of and practice another. In the event it the question comes before the Supreme Court which religion prevails? That of the American lay people who are citizens of the US or that of the hierarchy who answer to the Vatican?

The Supreme Court will be looking to see if it is a violation of the Constitution, which it is – the first amendement which grants religious freedom. There are not 2 religions involved – Catholicism is one religion and it is universal. What holds true for Catholics in Africa and Europe holds true for Catholics in the US. The Catholic Church does not advocate the use of contraception. Period. To force Catholic colleges, hospitals, churches and other entities to push a practice they do not believe in is a grave issue of concern. The Church will not change this teaching, and for that I am extremely grateful. Other religious exemptions are granted. Why not this one?

Stephanie says:
February 8, 2012 at 9:26 pm
The Supreme Court will be looking to see if it is a violation of the Constitution, which it is – the first amendement which grants religious freedom. There are not 2 religions involved – Catholicism is one religion and it is universal. What holds true for Catholics in Africa and Europe holds true for Catholics in the US. The Catholic Church does not advocate the use of contraception. Period. To force Catholic colleges, hospitals, churches and other entities to push a practice they do not believe in is a grave issue of concern. The Church will not change this teaching, and for that I am extremely grateful. Other religious exemptions are granted. Why not this one?

Stephanie, you seem to leave out, quite conveinently, the separation of Church and State. These hospitals feed from the same government bucket by accepting Medicare, Medicaid etc. So guess what, you can’t have it both ways.

The Catholic Bishops and Cardinals have, by their extraordinarily poor handling of the Sexual Abuse Cases, broken faith with their Catholic parishioners and have lost all claim to any moral high ground. The Bishops think that they are still in the 1950’s when they could simply order their congregants to “Pay, Pray and Obey”. But those days are over for good. American Catholics will not allow themselves to be ordered around by corrupt bishops and cardinals.

Just because coverage is there, doesn’t mean you have to use it. And if the coverage is not used then it will be $0 cost to the insurer. Of course if they hire someone that is going to use it, then the cost is shared by the insurer across the group. My guess is that from the polls, most people want to be able to have the access, and allow others access, because an ounce of preventation is cheaper than a pound of cure. Also gets into the whole, well if you don’t want them to use it, don’t hire ones that will vs. well you work for me I can tell you what to do.

First point, this isn’t a mandate to take birth control, it is a mandate for birth control to be covered under insurance plans, and that they have no co-pay.

Churches are exempted. But religious institutions that are not churches are not exempt. That is because other religions are employed by these institutions. Not everyone that works at a Catholic church or a Catholic college is Catholic. That is why they aren’t exempted. Instead they have an extra year to comply.

I just don’t see the outrage here other than the typical GOP plan to be outraged by everything Obama does (even if, in Mitt’s case, it is exactly what he did).

And slightly off topic, but I got a kick out of the story on the abortion sonogram mandate that the GOP pushed through in Texas. I thought health related mandates were bad and the work of a socialist devil? Oh, what was that? The GOP is only outraged by mandates they don’t agree with, but support mandates they do agree with? Kindof like how the GOP loves spending and increasing the national debt when they are in power, but hate it when someone else is in power? Got it. Hypocrisy.

It’s absolutely wrong to force a woman employee of a religious affiliated organization to pay for her own birth control pills when every woman covered under insurance can obtain those pills for free. Where is her right to control her body and her life? The catholic church is run by a bunch of men who want to control women, now and forever.

Zack, it doesn’t matter that you’re telling the truth, that what you said is accurate. This isn’t about religious people wanting to decide for themselves, it’s about religious people wanting to dictate other people’s lives, something they have no right to do.

They don’t want democracy and civility, they want theocracy and brutality.

Except, friend, that non-church religious organizations CANNOT discriminate against employees and ARE bound by the same federal and state laws as any company. I worked for a Christian non-profit once that tried to force me to participate in prayer during a business meeting. My salary was 100% paid for by government money. Was that a violation of federal law? Oh, yes it was.

The Catholic Church has no option but to fight this because they need to convince women that using artificial BC is against God’s will. Do they demand that women who DO use the pill go to confession and tell the priest?
Do they excommunicate if someone admits to it? Will the Church ever admit that, despite their teachings, women place a higher priority on using modern convenient BC methods to prevent unwanted pregnancy rather than on complying with the Church’s rules? The Church needs to step back and just take a look at reality. It’s history of rules and regulations as been tarnished by its failure to control the sexual perversion of some of its priests, not to mention the criminal acts of “management” in hiding the offenses of those priests. But no, the Church cannot change because that would admit the historical practices were flawed and needed changing. The Church should accept the insurance mandates (if the rest of us have to) and just issue a statement with the insurance coverage that says they don’t condone BC coverage but are complying with U.S. law as an employer. If they consider themselves to be above the law, they need to lose their tax-exempt status and start paying taxes like the rest of us.

“And slightly off topic, but I got a kick out of the story on the abortion sonogram mandate that the GOP pushed through in Texas. I thought health related mandates were bad and the work of a socialist devil? Oh, what was that? The GOP is only outraged by mandates they don’t agree with, but support mandates they do agree with? Kindof like how the GOP loves spending and increasing the national debt when they are in power, but hate it when someone else is in power? Got it. Hypocrisy.”

I understand that the sonogram of a living human being prior to abortion goes strongly against your religious convictions. Did I get it right?

I really don’t see the problem here. The insurance has to cover contraception, but no one is being forced to use contraception. I’m sure the good Catholics will not make use of the contraception benefit.

The point is that insurance companies don’t get to cherry pick the things they want to cover. This applies to all of them. Why should Catholics get a special exemption in this case? Christian Scientists don’t believe in modern medicine; if they offer insurance, should they be allowed to exclude check-ups, prescription drugs, Xrays, etc. from their insurance policies?

So many in the Catholic hierarchy pay so little attention to the teachings of Jesus. They simply ignore these teaching and in their place substitute, the teachings of sometimes obscure “prophets”. Even Paul ignores what JESUS says it the basis of Christianity, especially the second most important teaching, the welfare and concern for others!

Real simple. It is totally voluntary to use(or not use) the coverage covering contraceptives. No one is forcing the workers to use contraceptives.
Maybe this would be a wake up sign to religions hawking the primitive anti-contraceptive theology to find that 98% of their brothren are using it.
Any of you women waking up to how much the GOP wants to keep you barefoot and pregnant??

Even if contraception is offered by Catholic institutions’ insurance plans, nobody is forcing observant Catholics to use them. This is an utterly contrived controversy — just another political attack by the president’s enemies inside and outside the Church.

Let me explain the concern to all the “Catholics” out there. Using contraceptives, sterilization procedures, abortifacients or abortions is considered a “grave offense” or mortal sin in RCC doctrine. Any practicing Catholic who knowingly and willfully aids and abets such use also commits a grave offense. That is the gist of the objection by RCC institutions, that by paying for insurance coverage for such uses they commit a grave offense,
which is not a tenable position.

If conservatives insist on creating a new standard — any organization which objects on theological grounds to paying for certain medical services shouldn’t be required to pay for them — then Jehovah’s Witnesses can’t be required to provide insurance that covers blood transfusions. An employee of any Jehovah’s Witness entity who needs kidney dialysis, for example, will just have to do without, even if that employee isn’t a Jehovah’s Witness. Someone who works for a Scientologist organization and needs Prozac will just have to suffer because Scientology forbids the taking of any psychiatric drug.

This, of course, isn’t really about medicine or religion. It’s about conservatives’ constant irrational need to feel under assault, their hatred for Barack Obama

Your parachute is like your head, empty except for air. Your analogy is backwards from the real situation.

Does GM dictate that employees can only drive GM cars? No, they don’t.
Does Microsoft dictate that employs cannot own Apple products? No, they don’t.

Nobody is forcing the employers to use birth control or condone it, but the employers most definitely are trying to dictate the lives of employees. Only the dishonest would pretend otherwise.

Obama’s end around on this policy means employees can get coverage if the employees want it, and the employers are not affected. And for the clueless and ignorant reading this, the insurance companies WANT to sell coverage for birth control.

The rightwingnuts are in favor of the free market and capitalism, except when they aren’t, as Georhia noted above.

The government is required to serve the needs of the people and not the needs of religious leaders to control their congregations. The health care ruling regarding contraception is not the problem, but is the symptom. The problem lies within the Catholic church.

If Catholic Church run hospitals and universities don’t want to follow the same rules as every other American company and organization, then they should stop feeding at the federal trough by accepting millions (billions) of our federal tax dollars. This isn’t about religious liberty, it’s about election year politics.

Should the neighborhood Jewish Deli down the street be forced to sell pork sandwiches?
Should the Baptist Church next door be forced to donate money to construct the Ballet School next to it?
Should Muslims be forced to pay taxes that support the Pig Race Track?
etc…
It is about freedom, it is about being allowed to think for yourself. In this case the government is forcing their beliefs on another organization, not vice versa.
If you sit by ideally and allow this to happen, your group or organization will one day be on the chopping block and forced to do something against their/your will, their/your conscience.
Bits of freedom are so easily given away and so hard (often impossible) to regain. Together we can control our future, divided we leave it in the hands of the politicians in Washington, who are all on the same team and after the same thing, power.

This is not only about birth control but abortions as well. Again if you don’t agree with your employeer’s policy find another job! We often are forced to pay for things we do not want to support smoking cession programs, weight loss surgery, etc. I don’t want to pay for abortions. Say what you will about the Catholic church but as someone pointed out in another blog, the police abuse people in greater number than the priests every did and I still believe for the most part that police and Catholic priests are good people! I don’t believe in throwing away a bushel of apples if you find one bad one.

How much public funding do these Texas Catholic institutions receive? We know that many religious-affiliated hospitals and colleges receive significant state and federal monies – if they receive any then 1) give it all back and don’t accept any more or 2) stop being ridiculous and provide women health insurance that covers contraception.